


Blank Pages

by hunterpond



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: AU, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dark, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I'm so sorry for this, M/M, Pike Lives, Post-Star Trek: Into Darkness, References to Drugs, post STID
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 14:25:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1188555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunterpond/pseuds/hunterpond
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Khan fiasco, Starfleet made sure to wipe out every evidence from Admiral Marcus' crimes, so the image of the Federation was kept clean and to decrease the tension between them and the Klingons. Even if it meant making every witness, even the crew members of the Enterprise, 'disappear'. Now, four years later, when a new threat rises, they are obligated to reunite the former golden team, but a lot happened to each one of them on the past 48 months.</p>
            </blockquote>





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James Tiberius Kirk didn't believe in no-win scenarios. He always told himself that everyday. From the stories with no 'happily ever afters' his brother used to read him when he was three-years-old to that almost impossible Math test on the 11th grade, even when his mother was off planet and left him and Sam with their abusive step-father for long periods of time (and trust me, that happened a lot). He didn't blame her though. Having to wake up everyday to look at your child who is the mirror reflection of your dead husband ain't easy. Hell, Jim wouldn't be able to stand it either. So she spent a great part of their childhood away, leaving her offspring with Frank, not giving a second thought about her decision, and even when Sam ran away when Jim was ten-years-old he did not lose hope, because he did not believe in no-win situations.

However, dealing with the Khan problem four years ago was a totally different story. The whole situation was pretty messed up but somehow they managed to beat both Admiral Marcus and Khan. He recalls knocking Scotty unconscious and getting into the radiation chamber, but by some miracle (thank you, Chekov) the Russian Liutenant managed to get the systems of the ship back online before they crashed on the planet. He got out the second he entered and passed out, but fortunately, his cells didn't absorb much radiation and Bones assured him he was going to be okay. And, after a few punches and bruises, Spock chased Khan through San Francisco and managed to defeat him, almost getting killed on the process. He swears he had never seen that fury on Spock's eyes since the incident on the bridge when Vulcan was destroyed and he almost choked Jim to death. 

He broke Khan's arm and kept hitting him, non stop, not even when Uhura screamed for him to stop. She mentioned something about the Vulcan hearing that Jim had gotten killed on the radiation chamber, and then Spock went nuts. Jim had to beam down himself to ensure Spock he was okay, only then he stopped hitting the bloddy and almost unconscious man at his feet. Jim did understand why Spock lost control like that. They had become - not only the best commanding team on the 'Fleet, but very good friends. If he was in the other's shoes, he would have certainly freaked out as well. 

After the whole incident, Khan was put back into the cryotube, being locked up with the rest of his crew at an unknown location by the Federation. With that whole situation, and half of San Francisco destroyed after the USS Vengeance crashed on the city, the tension between the Klingon Empire and the Federation increased and the only found solution - according to them,- was to pretend it never happened. But how do they make people forget about a spaceship falling out of the sky and killing hundreds, maybe thousands of people? Without mentioning the attack to Starfleet's headquarters and the explosion of the section 31 of the library. Well, none of the Enterprise personel knew how, but somehow they managed to create a fake story about a malfunctioning space dock, and getting rid of all the witnesses, which meant that they managed to disappear with every single crew member from the Enteprise. No questions asked, no answers given. And since then, he has been working as a bartender in one of Iowa's most infamous bars and hadn't had a single information about his friends' whereabouts in four years. Oh no, he cared, of course he was concerned about their fate, but what was the use? He lost everything. They lost everything. What was done is done, and keeping the flame of his faith on, was everything he had left. He didn't believe in no-win scenarios, but maybe this one was an exception.

Jim sighed as he now did the dishes, drying out the glasses with a blue cloth. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and put the glasses into the cabinets. It was winter in Iowa and he was glad he convinced his boss to install a heating device on the bar. Jim loved thursdays because the movement at the bar was always very low which meant he would have more free time to check his PADD and read some books. Even with all the tecnology of the 23rd century, Jim have always loved a good old fashioned book. 

He heard a bell which meant that a client entered the bar and sighed. He put the last glass back in the cabinet and turned around to meet a pair of hazel eyes he never thought he would see again.

"Bones?!" He exclaimed.

The man before him looked nothing like the Leonard he knew. McCoy let his hair grow and it was reaching the middle of his neck, his bangs tucked behind his ears. His eyes were bloodshot and he had bags under his eyes. He also hasn't shaved in a while. Those were not good signs. And by the way he was walking towards Jim, he knew the man before him was not completely sober. He was wearing grey gloves and a scarf, a black trenchcoat, a pair of jeans and black boots that Jim was sure were part of their old uniform at Starfleet. 

Bones rounded the corner of the bar, blinking rapidly. This couldn't be Jim, could it? It must have been another hallucination caused by his drunken state because the man in front of him with dark blonde hair and deep blue eyes could not, in a million years, be James T. Kirk.

McCoy walked up to Jim and scanned him with his eyes.

"J-Jim?" 

Kirk smiled and let out a broken laugh that sounded more like a sob. He opened his arms and enveloped his old friend in a hug, ignoring the terrible smell of Salurian whiskey and Orion vodcka. Then he felt Bones' strong arms wrap themselves around his torso and he tightened his arms around the doctor's neck. 

After what felt like an eternity, they parted from each other. Jim wiped the tears from his eyes and noted that McCoy's eyes were watery as well.

"God, you have no idea how good it feels to see you alive, kid."

"The feeling is mutual, Bones." Jim rejoiced. He didn't understand what Bones meant by 'alive'. He would have to ask him later.

Jim walked up to the bar and got a bottle of Andorian whiskey from the cabinet. The blonde poured some on two glasses and walked up to Bones, carrying the bottle and the two glasses. He noticed McCoy had made himself comfortable, and had sat in one of the tables. He gave one of the glasses to the other man and sat down next to his friend. Bones held up his glass and Jim did the same. 

"To the old times, Jim."

"To the old times."

With that toast both men drank the whiskey in one trip. Jim hissed as the alcohol burned his throat. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and put the glass down as Bones put his.

"So, what have you been up to, doctor?" Jim smirked.

"Meh, you know, the usual. Went back to Georgia with Carol-"

"Carol?! Carol Marcus?" Jim grinned. "Bones, you old dog. I didn't know you had it in you."

"Just because we don't work in Starfleet anymore, it doesn't mean I can't hypo your ass like I used to. So shut up and let me finish." Bones sneered as Jim laughed.

"Anyway, I went back to Georgia, but there was Starfleet personel all over my apartment, looking for us, so we stole a shuttle and spent the last four years in a small town just outside Toronto, on Canada. Her working as an engineer at some coorporation, and I attending as a doctor at the local hospital." 

Jim noticed Leonard looking at his left hand and it didn't take too long before his mind put the pieces together.

"You two got married?" Jim muttered, a soft tone of affection on his voice. 

His heart melted as he saw his friend's expression soften. 

"Two years, eight months and three weeks."

Jim let out a broken laugh, got up and enveloped his friend into a hug. Bones wrapped his arms around Jim's torso and Jim rested his nose on the other man's shoulder.

"I'm so happy for you, Leonard." He stated.

Bones knew that Jim was really happy for him. Leonard McCoy wasn't a man of marriage and/or happy families. He used to be one, until his wife ripped everything from him and forbid him of seeing their daughter, whispering poisoning words to her about the father she barely knew, thanks to her mother. After the divorce, he saw no more hope and no more happy endings on this planet, so he decided to go to as far away as possible from it. He decided to go to space. Dangerous and deadly but at the same beautiful outer space. 

And that's where he met Jim. 

Jim, that helped him through his post divorce depression. Jim who tried to introduce him to hundreds of girls so he could forget his poisonous ex-wife and his beloved daughter. Since that morning on the shuttle, both of them had became best friends. They told each other almost everything, and they knew when the other was lying. Even when Bones refused to leak out much information about his failed marriage, Jim could still read him like an open book, and vice versa. Therefore, when Jim said he was happy for him, he really meant it.

Both pulled apart from the hug and Jim patted Bones softly on the back. They both sat back down and poured more whiskey from the bottle.

"So," Jim started, taking a sip of his drink. "what did you mean by 'alive'?"

"What?" The other man asked, a tone of anxiety on his voice.

"You know exactly what. When you saw me a few minutes ago you said 'God, you have no idea how good it feels to see you alive, kid.' What did you mean with 'alive?'" 

"Nothing, I mean, uh, it was just the heat of the moment you know." McCoy said nervously as he poured more whiskey onto his glass. He brought the glass to his lips and hissed as he swallowed the alcohol based beverage.

"Bones." Jim said, a tone of impatience on his voice. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing, Jim! I promise, there's nothing."

"Don't lie to me." Jim stated as he abruptly got up. "I know when you're lying to me. Spit it out, now." He demanded.

McCoy sighed and closed his eyes firmly, tightening his grip on his glass.

"Sit down, kid. And drink more whiskey." Bones said as he poured more whiskey on Jim's glass. "You're gonna need it."

So he told Jim everything that happened on the following days of the battle with Khan, before Jim ran away to Iowa.


End file.
